Ultrasonic antifouling devices negatively impact Cuvier's beaked whales near Guadalupe Island, Mexico.

ABSTRACT: Widespread use of unregulated acoustic technologies in maritime industries raises concerns about effects on acoustically sensitive marine fauna worldwide. Anthropogenic noise can disrupt behavior and may cause short- to long-term disturbance with possible population-level consequences, particularly for animals with a limited geographic range. Ultrasonic antifouling devices are commercially available, installed globally on a variety of vessel types, and are marketed as an environmentally-friendly method for biofouling control. Here we show that they can be an acoustic disturbance to marine wildlife, as seasonal operation of these hull-mounted systems by tourist vessels in the marine protected area of Guadalupe Island, México resulted in the reduced presence of a potentially resident populat

SUBMITTER: Trickey JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9499979 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature